Hey hey hey- I'm tired. Your perpetually sleepy author is trying to do it all. I ended up writing a lot more for this chapter than originally thought but it's still barely moving the plot forward. I feel like act two is going to be the longest act. Right now I'm trying to figure out ways for Jake and Randy to interact separately away from Danny. If you guys have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Though the necessary evil of setting the main plot around mistaken identity and setting the plot in Danny's world it's hard to have Jake and Randy meet naturally, though hopefully the way I'm winding it up it'll work out. ~Cosmo
The Fenton's lab smelled… stuffy. It smelled like a place that didn't have a lot of fresh air. Stale. With copious amounts of sweat, oil, and other various odors trapped into the walls. Despite sharing eerie similarities to a doctor's office, Jake was fundamentally terrified of getting tetanus from accidentally nicking himself on one of the sharp corners around the laboratory. It wasn't that he thought the Fentons were gross, but they probably just spent a lot of time in the lab if the pizza boxes were anything to judge by.
Jake watched the two Fenton's unload their dust devil.
"So what's it like being a spiritual medium?" Maddie queried, but before Jake could answer, she then posed, "Could I scan your brain waves?"
"As long as you use suction cups instead of tape-"
"Smart man." Jack tutted while disconnecting the vacuum's hose. He removed the vacuum cleaner bag. The box ghost trying to punch his way out,
"So what material do you guys use to keep ghosts secure?" Jake muscled his way in between the Fentons to get a better view of their peculiar machine.
The couple rarely had a willing audience to explain their technology. Maddie was the engineer, so she offered her perspective, "It's a special type of tinfoil alloy metal coated in ectoplasm. After reviewing Jack's hypothesis and conducting some experiments simulating a ghosts' particle frequency- Tinfoil was malleable but reflective enough to contain those frequencies."
"But can't ghosts bypass their own reflection and use that as a natural gateway to the-" Jake used air-quotes, "'Otherside'?"
He didn't doubt the modern advances that two allegedly competent scientists have made. But humans had a pretty poor track record of fully thinking through poking supernatural bears. From what Long had learned from Fu and his grandfather, ghosts found natural portals to the living world through mirrors and reflections. There was no doubt many spiritual and theological connections as to why. Jake mostly tried to reference his knowledge by which horror movie was most correct. Mirrors weren't inherently evil, just like how ghosts weren't inherently evil. Most passed benevolently from place to place and barely had enough energy to throw a plate threateningly. However, mirrors seemed to possess and hold onto the worst aspects of humanity as a silent witness. Since Narcissus became entranced with his own reflection, there's always been something undeniably off about mirrors.
Mrs Fenton lowered her goggles over her brown shaggy bobcut, "Yes- exactly without something to seal the ghosts inside like a bonding agent- they would just float out of the machine. Though oddly enough, the only object ghosts cannot phase through is ectoplasm. Since their bodies are made of it, they can't pass through it. I'm still trying to experiment thoroughly with how it functions- But combined with ultraviolet light to stun, you've caught yourself a ghost."
Jake Long supposed that was the best explanation he was getting for now, even if he didn't understand it.
Mr Fenton began using his baseball glove sized hand to hit keys in code. It was in an old school green and black command window. It looked incomprehensible to someone who wasn't particularly tech adept. Spud would have an easy time navigating it- Jake thought. The doors opened to the ghost portal. There was verbal silence heightening the sounds of what sounded like oil being poured. Like it was pooling onto the floor, but he couldn't see it. The ooze gateway sloshed together. It was disorienting to Jake. Almost hypnotizing how the gate to the ghost dimension called out. More tempting than the sirens and fae of New York, though not by offering sweet things. But release. Release from responsibility. It was the call of the void. All warmth had left the room. The only thing that felt grounded to Jake was his own fingernails piercing through his jacket and into the skin of his stomach. The dragon wondered if exposure to the portal had desensitized the Fenton's or they possessed a stronger conviction by way of being adults. However, the creeping suspicion that the couple was so far disillusioned that they were spitting in the face of the cosmic balance.
The portal wasn't evil, though it certainly conducted itself like it was. Jake didn't step closer, though everything in his body told him otherwise. The Fentons had no idea what they were tampering with. Jake felt sweat bulleting down his forehead, but the droplets were sucked into the portal. Mr Fenton canceled the command, swearing under his breath, "damn, I always forget the right code."
Spinning around as to not look at the portal- Jake feared what would happen if he looked at it for too long. He saw other appliances in the laboratory, a blender, a game headset, a questionably appropriate standing dream catcher. He queried, "So… why a vacuum?"
"Oh- I believe in multi-purpose technology." Maddie said in an almost rehearsed manner, "The thermos is my favorite example; it's a nifty little gadget that does so much more than just keep soup hot or cold."
"It can… hold other things besides soup?" Jake offered, furrowing his brow.
"Yes, exactly!" Mrs Fenton beamed, "now, not only can it hold soups, drinks, water- but you can use it as a blunt object to beat muggers with!"
"...I see."
Mrs Fenton's face softened slightly, sensing she lost her new trainee. She set down her soldering iron, "What I'm trying to say is that the element of surprise is a powerful tool against ghosts, against anyone who underestimates you. Things aren't what they always appear to be."
Jake nodded, noting that she was hunched over slightly in attempts to be on his level. He wasn't that short, was what he wanted to say- but that was pointless. He certainly didn't need the lecture, but he got the feeling that the Fenton's kids didn't always stick around for it.
"That doesn't just go for Amity Park," She reminded.
After toiling away at the computer, Jack typed in the right command. A few clear tubes let out some steam and vapor as a sort of celebratory sign. Jack scooped up the dust devil, plugging a different accordion hose descending from the portal. Jack was laughing with conviction, "That'll teach you ghost scum!"
"We also make dual-purpose ghost hunting equipment to try and recoup some of our investment in building costs." Jack sat on the ground, watching the green liquid be dragged up from the vacuum. He spoke with humility, as much as he did braggadocio. Jack Fenton was a man with decidedly no qualms with himself as a person. He knew what he was about, but getting someone to recognize it was difficult. Jake could respect that, from the perspective of being a young man that was hard on himself. Though clearly, Jake had grown from the need for validation.
"Before we get started training, we should find you a jumpsuit-"
Maddie clapped excitedly at the idea.
Feeling his face reflexively cringe, he forced it into a smile- Jake liked his baggy clothes because they filled out his frame. The jumpsuits the Fentons wore while they were skin-tight- were also unbelievably ugly. However, Jake nodded, he nodded- reluctantly. He had yet to get any of the tools he needed for the Phantom. So far, Jake had all but been adopted into this odd family through nothing but listening.
He had difficulty with what he heard, though. Long knew through befriending Rotwood that obsession could drive one to hatred, but deep beneath that hatred, there was still a person underneath. Jake could see glimpses of what types of people the Fenton's were, not defined by their prejudice. Generous, resourceful, intelligent. They were people he could see his parents befriending under the right circumstances. He wondered how they would react if they only who, or rather- what they were speaking to. It wasn't that Jake had a lot of dignity to begin with, but this was maybe a little too much for him.
"We'll be right back!" "Be careful poking around!" The Fentons departed up the stairs. Leaving Jake standing in the middle of what could only be described as a ghost torture facility.
The ends justify the means- Long held onto that thought. He could hear the portal churning behind the metal doors. His chest rose with apprehension. Jake wondered what his grandfather would've done. Would he have played the game?
"I never thought they would leave," Fu yawned, popping his joints and stretching, getting back into a bi-pedal stance.
Startling, Jake yelled, "Jeez! I just- I forgot you were here."
Sarcastically Fu chortled, "Thanks."
"You know what I meant," The young dragon sighed, "I didn't think you were capable of being this quiet."
Fu waddled over to the ghost portal. He didn't seem to like it much either. Fu sniffed at it, "It's okay to be scared, Jake."
"I'm not scared… I'm just being cautious."
"This place reeks of something foul," Fu stated, "In more ways than one, their kid smells like week-old broccoli and tengu feathers."
"Tengu feathers?" Jake queried, "I didn't know there were any left…"
"They do that thing where they curse themselves into objects now," Fu clarified, "it's all the rage with the demonic mythicals to get revenge on mortals. The last recorded instance of Tengu activity was a few clicks south of Amity Park, nearly eight centuries ago."
The young dragon scratched his head, "So? What does that have to do with anything? If you hadn't noticed, the Fenton's literally situated themselves on top of a nuclear bomb's worth of righteous paranormal energy-"
"You know who else smelled like tengu feathers?" Fu interjected, "That ninja kid. The one who crashed into us piloting that- What the hell was that kid flying?"
"Whatever it was, it talked in high English like he was robin-hood- like out of a period drama- like those ren faire dorks on Staten Island. You know the ones? Goin' on about the thrill of the hunt." Jake felt the bruise under his rib from where the sharp point of Skulker's head impaled him. Jake crossed his arms, "That kid is after the Phantom too. He was at the Nasty Burger- he's the one who brought the building down."
"I thought you did that-"
"Partially- I partially was to blame for that, yes." Jake retorted, his fork tongue hissing between his teeth, "The Phantom put me through the roof, then the ninja pulled me through and then- it collapsed." The dragon stressed, "Big dif- major dif."
"Either way, that kid the other one," Fu gestured as if the ninja was standing there in the lab, "If he's got tengu connections- we are up shi-"
Mrs Fenton called down from the first floor, "Jake, are you partial to orange? I'm afraid we don't have many options!"
"I'm okay with anything!" Jake shouted up. Before turning back to Fu, who was snickering, "Don't laugh- I'm doing this for you- I'm doing this for G, I'm doing this for all dragon-kind. Don't you dare hold this against me. I am cool, aight?"
"Trixie is going to flip." The dog smirked.
Jake groaned, "did you find the mirror the spirit bailed from?"
"It was a risky maneuver- But I have faith you can pull this off, Jake," Fu removed the now broken compact mirror, "it's not like these humans are gonna actually know what it's used for."
"Still, I don't want them stepping on broken glass- or whatever," Jake mumbled, "We can barely afford to be careful. Apparently, we couldn't afford more mirrors either."
"Hey, I don't even want to be holding this thing-" Fu said, putting the compact into his fat folds, "Mirrors are nothing but trouble, I already have several lifetimes of bad luck, and- and I thought we would only need the one for Invisobill."
The fell of heavy footsteps down the stairs. Fu automatically switched back to all fours. Jake got to his knees and patted the ground. Fu ran towards the young dragon. Jake squished his face like how a normal child would pet their dog- cooing at him. He wondered if other kids had to scratch their father figure's butt in front of company.
"Aw, I wish Danny was actually responsible enough to keep a dog," Maddie looked at the scene.
Jack added, "I wish Jazz didn't have so many responsibilities to keep a dog."
Unfurling out a rather huge orange boiler suit like a state flag, Mrs Fenton thrusted it towards Jake. The young dragon found himself trying to put on the performance of his life.
The classroom was empty with no teacher insight. The only light was the natural daylight filtered through the gloomy overcast. No one made any move to turn on the fluorescents. The first group of Norrisville kids, Randy, Julian, and Morgan, were all on opposing sides of the room. Away from each other. They took their seats and waited for what they assumed was a class. Morgan mentioned that they could leave if no one showed up to count them after fifteen minutes, while Julian babbled to the shrunken skull from his top hat.
Eventually, three other students of Casper high origin entered the classroom. One was a lackey of Dash, Randy had recognized. He had a horrendous haircut that made Randy reminisce on his older grade school photos before his parents let him style his hair himself. The bowl cut made his Asian side wince. The other two were girls Randy couldn't place, but they entered with the confidence that they were in the right room. That was enough to take at face value. The big guy separated and sat at the table with Julian. The girl with the frizzy top bun and crop top went with Morgan. Randy looked up to see the last student hang back with hesitation. She glanced at him, and he felt the need to look away like he had done something wrong.
The girl in yellow sashayed to Randy's table. With a slam, her books found the table. Causing Cunningham to sit up. She didn't say anything, an apology or otherwise. Folding out a piece of paper like a weapon, her eyes scanned it. She read quietly before crumpling it up in disgust.
"I hate these icebreaker games-" The girl idly looked at her watch and then the window almost expectantly. She didn't seem to want to look at Randy, which Cunningham was used to. Though she seemed flighty like she had somewhere else to be. He was unsure if he was supposed to be insulted or not. The girl bounced her leg, "So Let's just skip ahead; I'm Valerie Grey- your Casper High chaperone. My favorite color is-"
Randy quipped, "Grey?"
She gave a strained smile, "yeah- no, it's actually carmine. Anyway, Raymond, My favorite subjects you probably don't care about are home ec and history." Valerie gestured for Randy to speak.
He returned the equally tight-lipped pained grin, "It's Randy actually, I don't have a favorite subject, and my favorite color is also red but- scarlet." Randy insisted, "Not that I don't want you as my chaperone, but you seem kind of busy. I'd uh prefer it if I just hang with the people I already know here."
"Trust me, kid, I'd love nothing more than to let you go do your own freaky Norrisville thing," Val said with a little too much pride, "but as a member of the student council-"
"The school and city hall has informed us that it is our duty as Casper High's 'leaders' to make sure the Norrisville kids have 'responsible' parties leading them to and from the school and the hotel."
"This is so bogus," Cunningham scoffed.
The girl cleared her throat, pointing out Randy's wrapped foot, "Considering you and a Casper High Student were injured in a ghost confrontation when you should've been either at the hotel or with your teacher observing the after school activities we offer. I'd say that I came in the nick of time."
Randy groaned.
Shrugging, she also couldn't help but compile a list of things she'd rather be doing than… this. Valerie didn't like the attitude, though she couldn't help but sympathize. She signed up for student council when she was still wealthy enough to be considered part of the A-listers clique. Now, she hardly wanted anything to do with people these days. Her heart wasn't broken, but it was hollow. When she thought about her heart now, to her, it was just used to pump blood to her fists, so when she hit back- she hit back hard. Grey didn't care about this interaction. In her mind, it was already over. He had just become another face in the faceless ocean of students.
Cunningham picked at a growing tear in his jeans, "is it at all possible that I can just switch to the person I want to be my chaperone?"
"If they are on the student council, I can put in a word, but as of right now," Valerie rested her face into her hand, "You're stuck with me."
Thinking quickly, Randy blurted the first name that came to mind, "Is Danny Fenton on the student council?"
"Danny Fenton?" She would've laughed if that name didn't always give her an equal dose of nostalgia. Val toyed with her earring, "Uh… no- no, he's not. He kind of a nobody around here."
"I'd like him to be my chaperone. I was with him during that ghost attack yesterday; he- he had a very cool head under pressure," Randy bluffed.
Calmly she countered with precision, "And you think I don't?"
"... people usually have difficulties with me. So, I figured I'd stick with my own freaky kind."
"That doesn't surprise me," Valerie softened, "Danny has a way of… making people feel better. Making them- feel important. Manson and her goon Tucker seem to orbit him like he's the sun."
For a moment, Randy felt his breath catch. He was still a teenage boy prone to moments of feeling important. He scratched his head, "Do you know him?"
"Do you?" Val leaned back in her chair.
"We're…" He rolled his pencil on the table, running his fingers along the woodgrain, "Friends."
